Brazilian Students and Intensive English Programs:

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Brazilian Students and Intensive English Programs

• Getting Them, Keeping Them, Making Them Happy.
• By Rita Moriconi

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Brazil...

• Has a school year which starts in February /
  March, with a break in July and continues until
  early December. Summer vacation goes from
  mid-December to early February.
• The number of Brazilians studying in the United
  States is increasing steadily every year.
  According to the 2001 Open Doors, there was a
  total of 8,846 students enrolled in academic
  programs in the U.S. , an increase of almost 3
  from the year before.
• Brazil is ranked first in South America as the
  country that sends the most students to the U.S.,
  and second in all of Latin America (first being
  Mexico).
• For Intensive English Programs, there are 6,020
  Brazilian students and 43,028 Student-weeks

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About the student

• Purpose for study
• academic English
• professional reasons
• vacation
• Time factor
• Financial capabilities
• Student profile
• _at_Alumni Association

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Student Profile

• Big city vs. small town
• Type of climate
• Type of housing
• Level of maturity and independence
• Safety concerns
• Expectations
• Interests other than English
• _at_Alumni Association

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About the program

• Faculty
• Schedule/Location
• Courses
• Program Size
• Housing
• Facilities/Support services
• Cost
• Affiliations
• _at_Alumni Association

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What students do and dont consider

• They do consider
• Schedule
• Cost
• Location
• Response time
• Housing
• Special Courses
• _at_Alumni Association

• They often dont consider
• faculty qualifications
• institutional affiliations
• academic advising/placement
• accreditation

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Our responsibilities

• Understand the students objectives
• discuss their expectations
• Advise the student about what to look for
• Considerations they may have overlooked
• Help the student find the right fit
• Be as informed as possible
• Have access to the right tools
• _at_Alumni Association

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Useful Tools

• Program Directories
• IEUSA (formerly ELOPUS) by IIE
• Membership guides (UCIEP/AAIEP)
• Guides such as Petersons, Study USA magazines,
  International Educators, etc.
• Maps
• List of sites
• Brochures
• Videos
  _at_Alumni Association

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Standardized Tests in SP
_at_Alumni Association
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Number of Advisees -SP
_at_Alumni Association
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2001 vs. 2002
_at_Alumni Association
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Academic Objectives1997
8
20
17
15
40
_at_Alumni Association
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Academic Objectives2001
8
21
14
18
39
_at_Alumni Association
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Visas in Rio 2001/2002
_at_Alumni Association
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VISAS FOR BRAZILIAN STUDENTS

• F1 1998 1999 2000 2001
• São Paulo 8,595 6,901 6,981 6,063
• Rio 3,875 3,383 3,341 2,974
• J1 1998 1999 2000 2001
• São Paulo 3,380 3,393 4,396 4,153
• Rio de Janeiro 1,853 2,001 2,344 2,300

_at_Alumni Association
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How you can best advertise your institution

• Keep your site as user friendly as possible for
  international students (programs, costs,
  duration, housing, visa, tests required,
  deadlines).
• Educational fairs can be a good opportunity for
  recruiting international students.
• When coming to Brazil, visit also cities outside
  the state capitals.
• If you have financial aid or scholarships for
  international students, please make it evident.

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Specific Interests

• There is a demand for ESL courses for young
  learners (14-17), during the Brazilian summer
  break (January).
• There is a demand for ESL courses during the
  summer vacations in Brazil, that is, from early
  December to February.
• Students are often interested in a combination
  of ESL courses and attending (auditing) an
  academic course as well.

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How you can best advertise your institution

• Choose sites and reference books most used by
  OSEAS advisers as for instance
• Intensive English USA (formerly ELOPUS) by IIE
• Petersons Guide to English Language Programs
  (http//www.petersons.com/elp/elpusa.html )
• Study USA magazine
• Our site in use www.info.lncc.br/Fulbright
  (options www.clas.ufl.edu/CLAS/american-universit
  ies.html and www.studyusa.com )
• Search engine www.metacrawler.com

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How you can keep OSEAS advisors informed about
new programs

• In Brazil
• send information about your programs to BREADNET,
  Brazilian Educational Advisers Network
  (breadnet_at_forum.lncc.br )
• OSEAS advisers in general
• find out about OSEAS leadership in
• http//www.oseas.nafsa.org/leadership.asp
• and contact the proper leadership in the area of
  your interest to find out where to send
  information

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How you can keep OSEAS advisors informed about
new programs

• To send messages to OSEAS advisers, use one of
  the following options
• Subscribe to and participate in the Yahoo inter-l
  discussion group by sending a message to
  inter-l-subscribe_at_yahoogroups.com. You will
  receive additional information on how to use the
  listserve or visit http//groups.yahoo.com/group/i
  nter-l.
• 2. Register for the Web-based discussion service,
  fsAdvisor.com, by visiting http//www.newfrontsoft
  ware.com/fsadvisor.
• 3. Subscribe to and use OSEAS-Europe_at_ibs.ee to
  send messages of specific interest to advisers
  throughout Europe (Western, ECE, Israel and NIS).
  Contact Jakub Tesar, list manager, for
  subscription details (tesar_at_fulbright.cz).
• 4. Contact directly one of the OSEAS-ADSEC
  Liaisons for the specific region of the world.

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ADSEC/OSEAS LIASON PROJECThttp//www.bibl.u-szege
d.hu/oseas_adsec/

• If you ever need information on another country's
  educational system, credential evaluation, study
  abroad programs, country profile,
  or governmental contacts, the ADSEC/OSEAS
  Liaison team is the group to contact.
• Did you know that a system has been in place to
  put you in immediate touch with wherever your
  focus of interest is - right when you need it?
• The ADSEC/OSEAS Liaison project has been in place
  for the last 4 years and provides information on
  basically any country in the world, and can
  usually put you in touch with the Educational
  Adviser based in that country, if one is
  available.
• The website http//www.bibl.u-szeged.hu/oseas_ads
  ec/ has up-to-date information on each continent
  and specific countries within the continent.
  Contact email addresses, home country
  institutional information and much more is
  listed.

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OSEAS Liaisonshttp//www.bibl.uszeged.hu/oseas_ad
sec/

• The leadership of the various continents is
  broken down as follows and youmay contact the
  appropriate person for information
• Africa (Chair) Roberta Paola- Email
  paolarj_at_state.gov
• East Asia  Mila Tan - Email mtan_at_paef.org.ph
• East Central Europe Ildiko Ficzko -
  Emailficzko_at_bibl.u-szeged.hu
• Latin America  Rita Moriconi - Email
  fulbright_at_alternex.com.br
• NIS Hasmik Sargsian - Email hasmik_at_irex.am
• Near East Sohair Saad - Emailssaad_at_amideast.org
• Oceania  Judy Freudenberger - E-mail
  judy_at_fulbright.com.au
• South Asia Sunrit Mullick - Email
  smullick_at_pd.state.gov    usefical_at_giascl01.vsnl.ne
  t.in
• Western Europe Merli Tamtik - E-mail
  merlit_at_ut.ee

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How Stateside NAFSAns and OSEAS Advisers Can Work
Together The Three Cs Formula Communicate,
Cooperate, and Collaborate!

• OSEAS advisers can
• Be a primary source of information on the
  educational systems, ministries, and institutions
  of our home countries.
• Network with local ministries, universities, and
  professional accreditation commissions in our
  areas.
• Keep U.S.-based colleagues posted on study trends
  in our areas and programs students are looking
  for in the United States.
• Serve as resources in our individual areas of
  specialization through the OSEAS Regional Linkage
  and Partnership Programs, regional and national
  NAFSA conferences, and OSEAS or REAC conferences
  outside the United States.
• Be an international students only or primary
  exposure to the U.S. system of higher education.
  Overseas educational advising centers can serve
  as the gateway to international educational
  exchange.
• Assist visiting U.S. "study abroad"
  students/scholars (and U.S. program officers who
  are sending them) with questions on everything
  from the local academic and cultural scene to
  mores, safety and "survival 101" issues.
  Stateside colleagues can develop direct
  communication linkages with overseas advising
  centers.

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• Use our e-mail, fax, or APO addresses whenever
  possible. Snail mail may never reach us. The
  Department of State/College Boards "Directory of
  Overseas Educational Advising Centers 2000-2001"
  is a good source of contact information, as is
  the Department of State web site
  http//exchanges.state.gov/education/educationusa/
  .
• Keep us informed of admissions trends for
  international students.
• Let us know if you plan to visit our country.
  Visit our offices and meet us in person. Be sure
  to bring catalogs, application forms, and a video
  if you have one.
• Let us know if you hold college fairs locally,
  and incorporate our office into your program.
• Inform us of any exchanges or special agreements
  you may have with our local colleges and
  universities.
• Send us more catalogs and videos, and fewer loose
  flyers. Make your Web sites user-friendly for
  international students.
• Send us well in advance good pre-departure
  information on housing, transportation in your
  area, etc. Many students, especially those
  traveling with families, use this kind of
  information in the initial application screening
  process.
• Inform us of any distance education options your
  school may offer international students.
• Make more use of AMIDEASTs Advising Quarterly as
  a venue for announcing new programs or
  scholarships you may have.

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• Help us encourage the international transfer
  student to continue applying to U.S. schools by
  rethinking admissions policies. Try to give these
  students a clearer picture of their entry level
  at the time of acceptance and issuance of the
  I-20, and before they leave their home countries.
  
• Provide us with more information on short-term
  and non-degree programs that are available to
  international students. Help the U.S. Department
  of States Educational Information and Resources
  Branch (ECA/A/S/A) update reference material
  needed in these increasingly popular levels of
  study.
• Let us know of ANY scholarships you offer for
  qualified international undergraduate and
  graduate students (general merit, need-based,
  departmental, arts-oriented, sports, etc.).
  Schools informing overseas advising centers of
  any financial assistance available to qualified
  students have a greater chance of attracting and
  enrolling suitable international applicants.
• Develop methods of creative funding community
  service, dorm supervisors, foreign language
  proctors these are just some suggestions to
  work on together!
• Attend and participate in OSEAS workshops,
  conferences, and other activities held outside
  the United States, and in OSEAS presentations at
  NAFSA regional and national conferences. Your
  presence and input is most important to us.

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Three Cs formula

• Apply for the NAFSA U.S. Department of State
  OSEAS Professional Partnership program and
  experience the daily activities of an overseas
  advising center firsthand. Learn more about the
  profession that acts as the gateway for
  international student flows to the United States!
  
• Give NAFSA and the U.S. Department of State your
  support. Help sponsor workshops and professional
  development opportunities for OSEAS advisers such
  as the OSEAS Regional Linkage programs.
• Welcome OSEAS talent into the national leadership
  and at regional and national presentations at
  NAFSA conferences.
• Advocate within your state and region to support
  the only objective, professionally trained
  overseas advising network located outside the
  United States. Remember our U.S. Department of
  State-affiliated network of almost 450 centers
  across the globe is the information gateway for
  most of the almost 550,000 international students
  who reach your campuses.
• Originally prepared in 1997 by Evelyn Levinson,
  International Education Consultant , Tel Aviv,
  Israel, and Immedidate Past OSEAS Coordinator
  email evelynle_at_netvision.net.il updated
  February 2002.